FIFA is expanding on the video assistant referee (VAR) technology, which is becoming increasingly crucial in soccer. The organization will test technology meant to assist referees in determining if players are offside during this year’s Arab Cup. This will be the most significant testing of the system to date.
The offside rule is intended to keep players from staying too near to the opposing goal. In a nutshell, it’s a foul whenever an attacking team advances the ball while a teammate is ahead of both the ball and the second-to-last defense (including the goalkeeper). After a VAR review, 32 goals in the 2020-21 English Premier League season were ruled out for offside.
According to the reports, the semi-automated offside system captures up to 29 data points 50 times per second for each player. Each stadium will have between 10 and 12 cameras mounted beneath its top. The technology will determine the offside line at the time the ball is played using limb-tracking data (i.e. the “kick point”). If it identifies an offside violation, it will notify a replay operator, who will be able to evaluate the occurrence nearly in real-time.
“The replay operator then has the opportunity to show it immediately to the VAR,” said Johannes Holzmüller, FIFA’s football technology, and innovation director. “At the FIFA Arab Cup, the Assistant VAR, at a dedicated offside station, can immediately validate and confirm the information.” The VAR might then inform the referee of the decision.
The device would be able to detect offside infractions faster than the present VAR setup, allowing games to move more smoothly. If all goes well, the technology might be deployed for the Qatar World Cup in 2022. The method has been tested in England, Spain, and Germany. There were intentions to test it more widely last year, but the COVID-19 outbreak derailed those preparations.
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